"Caddie" Ideal daily driver.**Unfortunately Caddie was totaled on Wednesday evening 9:30 PM 11/09/2005, at 236,000 miles on the odometer, on a back road in Easton, CT. The driver (my son) lost control, clipped off a power pole, the car landed on its side and was completely destroyed. He walked away with bruises (thank you Cadillac) but the car did not. See photos page 2.**1991 Cadillac Seville STS. The now famous STS Cadillac Touring Sedan. And the last year of the compact body style. Consequently the 1991 STS is a rare car with a unique combination of Seville style, excellent fuel economy, great power and performance suspension.
Below is a photograph of the "Cadillac" emblem just above the glove box handle and directly in front of the front passenger.
Fully a Cadillac in styling, luxury leather interior and amenities the STS also has firm performance suspension, tighter performance steering, better gearing and more engine power, now the standard for all STS Cadillacs. Below is a photograph of the "STS" emblem on the trunk exterior (if it doesn't have this, it isn't).
Looking back now, the early eighties were an extremely difficult period for the American automotive industry. Fuel prices were hovering around $1.20 a gallon and it was generally accepted that fuel prices would triple by the mid-eighties. All manufacturers were seeking more fuel efficient alternatives to their still big cars. Unfortunately, fuel prices had only risen by a little in 1986 (to around $1.50 per gallon) when Cadillac introduced their two new smaller cars with smaller engines and Seville sales plummeted from 39,755 to 19,098 units. Seville production would hover around 22,000 units for the next couple of years.

Late in the evening on a wet slippery road while in a curve the driver lost control. The car slid, ran up the hill, impacted the power pole directly in front of the driver, and landed on the passenger side. The impact was so severe it broke the right rear axle, cut the power pole in two, and the pole was driven into the engine compartment. The top cut off part of the pole landed on top of the vehicle hood and driver side. The driver exited the vehicle out the rear driver door which was straight up in the air.
Caddie at the wrecking yard the next morning. One can observe the imprint of the pole directly in front of the driver side (before and after accident). Notice the pole lurking in the background of the damaged car. After impact with the pole, the momentum of the car launched it into the air and it landed on the passenger side (causing road rash on the passenger door, squashing the mirror and snapping the rear axle), it then slid a short distance, and came to rest about ten feet beyond the point of impact (oil spot on the road). The driver started to exit the vehicle immediately after imact and probably while it was still moving. One can observe the road rash on the door, squashed mirror and broken axle in the image below. The driver collects scrap which was scattered all around the site. The front grill emblem was thrown forward upon impact. A new power pole was installed overnight. The driver describes the incident. Notice the tire marks in along the hill where he is standing. The accident path is in red, the ideal path is in green. Notice when the driver lost control, control was taken over by enertia (force of motion) and the car moved in a straight line without the driver's control.This driver was very lucky.
If circumstances were different, outcomes would have been seriously different.
-If he was not wearing a seat belt he would have been thrown and killed.
-If the air bag did not deploy he may have been killed on the steering wheel.
-If the car had hit the pole on the driver door he would have been killed.
-If the power lines touched the car or driver he would have been electrocuted and killed.
-If the car were not massive (2.3 tons) with a sacrificial body he would have been killed.
-If he had passengers they would have been injured if not killed.
-If there was oncoming traffic he may have killed someone else.
One second before the accident, the driver felt he was in complete control, and was driving happily.
I hope he goes to church, is thankful, and has learned a valuable (albeit expensive) lesson.
Please drive carefully as your life depends upon it.

Late in the evening on a wet slippery road while in a curve the driver lost control. The car slid, ran up the hill, impacted the power pole directly in front of the driver, and landed on the passenger side. The impact was so severe it broke the right rear axle, cut the power pole in two, and the pole was driven into the engine compartment. The top cut off part of the pole landed on top of the vehicle hood and driver side. The driver exited the vehicle out the rear driver door which was straight up in the air.
Caddie at the wrecking yard the next morning. One can observe the imprint of the pole directly in front of the driver side (before and after accident). Notice the pole lurking in the background of the damaged car. After impact with the pole, the momentum of the car launched it into the air and it landed on the passenger side (causing road rash on the passenger door, squashing the mirror and snapping the rear axle), it then slid a short distance, and came to rest about ten feet beyond the point of impact (oil spot on the road). The driver started to exit the vehicle immediately after imact and probably while it was still moving. One can observe the road rash on the door, squashed mirror and broken axle in the image below. The driver collects scrap which was scattered all around the site. The front grill emblem was thrown forward upon impact. A new power pole was installed overnight. The driver describes the incident. Notice the tire marks in along the hill where he is standing. The accident path is in red, the ideal path is in green. Notice when the driver lost control, control was taken over by enertia (force of motion) and the car moved in a straight line without the driver's control.This driver was very lucky.
If circumstances were different, outcomes would have been seriously different.
-If he was not wearing a seat belt he would have been thrown and killed.
-If the air bag did not deploy he may have been killed on the steering wheel.
-If the car had hit the pole on the driver door he would have been killed.
-If the power lines touched the car or driver he would have been electrocuted and killed.
-If the car were not massive (2.3 tons) with a sacrificial body he would have been killed.
-If he had passengers they would have been injured if not killed.
-If there was oncoming traffic he may have killed someone else.
One second before the accident, the driver felt he was in complete control, and was driving happily.
I hope he goes to church, is thankful, and has learned a valuable (albeit expensive) lesson.
Please drive carefully as your life depends upon it.

Late in the evening on a wet slippery road while in a curve the driver lost control. The car slid, ran up the hill, impacted the power pole directly in front of the driver, and landed on the passenger side. The impact was so severe it broke the right rear axle, cut the power pole in two, and the pole was driven into the engine compartment. The top cut off part of the pole landed on top of the vehicle hood and driver side. The driver exited the vehicle out the rear driver door which was straight up in the air.
Caddie at the wrecking yard the next morning. One can observe the imprint of the pole directly in front of the driver side (before and after accident). Notice the pole lurking in the background of the damaged car. After impact with the pole, the momentum of the car launched it into the air and it landed on the passenger side (causing road rash on the passenger door, squashing the mirror and snapping the rear axle), it then slid a short distance, and came to rest about ten feet beyond the point of impact (oil spot on the road). The driver started to exit the vehicle immediately after imact and probably while it was still moving. One can observe the road rash on the door, squashed mirror and broken axle in the image below. The driver collects scrap which was scattered all around the site. The front grill emblem was thrown forward upon impact. A new power pole was installed overnight. The driver describes the incident. Notice the tire marks in along the hill where he is standing. The accident path is in red, the ideal path is in green. Notice when the driver lost control, control was taken over by enertia (force of motion) and the car moved in a straight line without the driver's control.This driver was very lucky.
If circumstances were different, outcomes would have been seriously different.
-If he was not wearing a seat belt he would have been thrown and killed.
-If the air bag did not deploy he may have been killed on the steering wheel.
-If the car had hit the pole on the driver door he would have been killed.
-If the power lines touched the car or driver he would have been electrocuted and killed.
-If the car were not massive (2.3 tons) with a sacrificial body he would have been killed.
-If he had passengers they would have been injured if not killed.
-If there was oncoming traffic he may have killed someone else.
One second before the accident, the driver felt he was in complete control, and was driving happily.
I hope he goes to church, is thankful, and has learned a valuable (albeit expensive) lesson.
Please drive carefully as your life depends upon it.

WHEELS AND TIRESAdding solid footing to the solid appearance the 1991 STS came with special 16-inch forged aluminum wheels. These wheels added strength as well as light unsprung weight thus increasing suspension performance. The 1991 STS came equipped with Goodyear Eagle GT4 P215/60R16 tires.
The forged alloy wheels feature beveled slots and silver polished surface. The aluminum hubcap covers the 5 standard 19mm lug nuts. This was the only year to feature the aluminum hubcap, all subsequent years featured plastic hubcaps with the same general appearance.
I have upgraded to V rated performance tires Hankook K106 225/50R16 92V. The Hankook K106 is a high performance radial designed for serious driving excitement. The radical v-shaped tread pattern efficiently disperses water without compromising speed or handling. Rated at "92" provides for a load rating of 1389 lbs (630 kg). Rated as "V" provides for speed rating of 149 mph (240 km/h) for Sport Sedans, Coupes & Sports Cars. This tread pattern added a significant amount of road noise, a definate buzz-whirr at highway speeds and higher. This is unfortunate because this car was typically extermely quiet at standard highway speeds and is no longer so with these tires. Added note: After considerable consideration, I now believe the reason the car was totaled (see page 2) was that these tires did not hold in the cold-damp road environment, and let go of adhesion without warning. The manufacturer used a slightly harder coumpound to gain longer wear, but sacrificing cold-damp adhesion.

Late in the evening on a wet slippery road while in a curve the driver lost control. The car slid, ran up the hill, impacted the power pole directly in front of the driver, and landed on the passenger side. The impact was so severe it broke the right rear axle, cut the power pole in two, and the pole was driven into the engine compartment. The top cut off part of the pole landed on top of the vehicle hood and driver side. The driver exited the vehicle out the rear driver door which was straight up in the air.
Caddie at the wrecking yard the next morning. One can observe the imprint of the pole directly in front of the driver side (before and after accident). Notice the pole lurking in the background of the damaged car. After impact with the pole, the momentum of the car launched it into the air and it landed on the passenger side (causing road rash on the passenger door, squashing the mirror and snapping the rear axle), it then slid a short distance, and came to rest about ten feet beyond the point of impact (oil spot on the road). The driver started to exit the vehicle immediately after imact and probably while it was still moving. One can observe the road rash on the door, squashed mirror and broken axle in the image below. The driver collects scrap which was scattered all around the site. The front grill emblem was thrown forward upon impact. A new power pole was installed overnight. The driver describes the incident. Notice the tire marks in along the hill where he is standing. The accident path is in red, the ideal path is in green. Notice when the driver lost control, control was taken over by enertia (force of motion) and the car moved in a straight line without the driver's control.This driver was very lucky.
If circumstances were different, outcomes would have been seriously different.
-If he was not wearing a seat belt he would have been thrown and killed.
-If the air bag did not deploy he may have been killed on the steering wheel.
-If the car had hit the pole on the driver door he would have been killed.
-If the power lines touched the car or driver he would have been electrocuted and killed.
-If the car were not massive (2.3 tons) with a sacrificial body he would have been killed.
-If he had passengers they would have been injured if not killed.
-If there was oncoming traffic he may have killed someone else.
One second before the accident, the driver felt he was in complete control, and was driving happily.
I hope he goes to church, is thankful, and has learned a valuable (albeit expensive) lesson.
Please drive carefully as your life depends upon it.

INTERIORThe STS exclusively featured high-gloss elm burl wood in all door panels, instrument panel and console.
In addition to redesigned seats, new full Beechwood leather front bucket seats included six-way power seat adjusters, power recliners and power lumbar support for driver and passen­ger.
There was also a full-width rear leather seat with integral headrests and rear passenger lighting (opera lights).
In later models the rear console was eliminated to accommodate a third center rear seat passenger. That was unfortunate because the older style (as in mine) provided "bucket seat" feel for the two rear passengers (particularly useful when driving in a spirited manner with passengers). Notice the luxurious and "plump" leather throughout. It is not vinyl with leather patches like in my Mercedes, but full leather coverings. Look cloesly at the stiching and one can observe leather in both connecting surfaces.
Spacious trunk is carpeted and includes a pad useful if one must change a tire or perhaps as a picnic blanket. One can see the rear speaker housings covered in carpeting just below the back window. The trunk pull down latch was a weak point in the system and would break if the trunk was slammed. Once one got used to it's proper use, it worked very well.
The keyless access feature includes an electronic trunk release and a trunk pull down feature. I have recently learned that the new STS do not have the trunk pull down feature. The trunk pull down is a special latch for the trunk. With a slight pressure from the operator the trunk lid will cose and latch, then a motor takes over and pulls the trunk lid down aginst the gaskets making a tight seal.

Late in the evening on a wet slippery road while in a curve the driver lost control. The car slid, ran up the hill, impacted the power pole directly in front of the driver, and landed on the passenger side. The impact was so severe it broke the right rear axle, cut the power pole in two, and the pole was driven into the engine compartment. The top cut off part of the pole landed on top of the vehicle hood and driver side. The driver exited the vehicle out the rear driver door which was straight up in the air.
Caddie at the wrecking yard the next morning. One can observe the imprint of the pole directly in front of the driver side (before and after accident). Notice the pole lurking in the background of the damaged car. After impact with the pole, the momentum of the car launched it into the air and it landed on the passenger side (causing road rash on the passenger door, squashing the mirror and snapping the rear axle), it then slid a short distance, and came to rest about ten feet beyond the point of impact (oil spot on the road). The driver started to exit the vehicle immediately after imact and probably while it was still moving. One can observe the road rash on the door, squashed mirror and broken axle in the image below. The driver collects scrap which was scattered all around the site. The front grill emblem was thrown forward upon impact. A new power pole was installed overnight. The driver describes the incident. Notice the tire marks in along the hill where he is standing. The accident path is in red, the ideal path is in green. Notice when the driver lost control, control was taken over by enertia (force of motion) and the car moved in a straight line without the driver's control.This driver was very lucky.
If circumstances were different, outcomes would have been seriously different.
-If he was not wearing a seat belt he would have been thrown and killed.
-If the air bag did not deploy he may have been killed on the steering wheel.
-If the car had hit the pole on the driver door he would have been killed.
-If the power lines touched the car or driver he would have been electrocuted and killed.
-If the car were not massive (2.3 tons) with a sacrificial body he would have been killed.
-If he had passengers they would have been injured if not killed.
-If there was oncoming traffic he may have killed someone else.
One second before the accident, the driver felt he was in complete control, and was driving happily.
I hope he goes to church, is thankful, and has learned a valuable (albeit expensive) lesson.
Please drive carefully as your life depends upon it.

ENGINEThe 1991 Seville is powered by a 300 cubic inch (4.9 L L26 HT4900 SFI) V8 transverse mounted with intergral transmission. This engine debuted in 1991 and features a square 92 mm bore and stroke. Power was the same as the 4500 at 200 horse power (149 kW) but torque was up slightly to 275 ft.lbf (373 Nm). The 1991 STS had even further enhanced power with the early Northstar engine. This power is far above the 4.1 L LT8 HT4100 V8, 130 horse power engine in previous Cadillacs.
The engine features port fuel injection (PFI) (spray into each cylinder), normally aspirated (cold air though throttle body), and high voltage electronic ignition. This engine was produced for other Cadillacs until 1996 and was replaced in the STS by the all aluminum Northstar engine in 1992. Cadillac was the first automobile maker to mass produce a V8 engine. The company has produced eight generations of V8s since 1914, and today is the only General Motors division to retain its own V8 design.
Front wheel drive final drive ratio for the Seville sedan was 2.97:1 while the SLS's was 3.33:1. I do not recall the final ratio for the STS but it is geared for a quick start and still retains a very high top end.

Late in the evening on a wet slippery road while in a curve the driver lost control. The car slid, ran up the hill, impacted the power pole directly in front of the driver, and landed on the passenger side. The impact was so severe it broke the right rear axle, cut the power pole in two, and the pole was driven into the engine compartment. The top cut off part of the pole landed on top of the vehicle hood and driver side. The driver exited the vehicle out the rear driver door which was straight up in the air.
Caddie at the wrecking yard the next morning. One can observe the imprint of the pole directly in front of the driver side (before and after accident). Notice the pole lurking in the background of the damaged car. After impact with the pole, the momentum of the car launched it into the air and it landed on the passenger side (causing road rash on the passenger door, squashing the mirror and snapping the rear axle), it then slid a short distance, and came to rest about ten feet beyond the point of impact (oil spot on the road). The driver started to exit the vehicle immediately after imact and probably while it was still moving. One can observe the road rash on the door, squashed mirror and broken axle in the image below. The driver collects scrap which was scattered all around the site. The front grill emblem was thrown forward upon impact. A new power pole was installed overnight. The driver describes the incident. Notice the tire marks in along the hill where he is standing. The accident path is in red, the ideal path is in green. Notice when the driver lost control, control was taken over by enertia (force of motion) and the car moved in a straight line without the driver's control.This driver was very lucky.
If circumstances were different, outcomes would have been seriously different.
-If he was not wearing a seat belt he would have been thrown and killed.
-If the air bag did not deploy he may have been killed on the steering wheel.
-If the car had hit the pole on the driver door he would have been killed.
-If the power lines touched the car or driver he would have been electrocuted and killed.
-If the car were not massive (2.3 tons) with a sacrificial body he would have been killed.
-If he had passengers they would have been injured if not killed.
-If there was oncoming traffic he may have killed someone else.
One second before the accident, the driver felt he was in complete control, and was driving happily.
I hope he goes to church, is thankful, and has learned a valuable (albeit expensive) lesson.
Please drive carefully as your life depends upon it.

Late in the evening on a wet slippery road while in a curve the driver lost control. The car slid, ran up the hill, impacted the power pole directly in front of the driver, and landed on the passenger side. The impact was so severe it broke the right rear axle, cut the power pole in two, and the pole was driven into the engine compartment. The top cut off part of the pole landed on top of the vehicle hood and driver side. The driver exited the vehicle out the rear driver door which was straight up in the air.
Caddie at the wrecking yard the next morning. One can observe the imprint of the pole directly in front of the driver side (before and after accident). Notice the pole lurking in the background of the damaged car. After impact with the pole, the momentum of the car launched it into the air and it landed on the passenger side (causing road rash on the passenger door, squashing the mirror and snapping the rear axle), it then slid a short distance, and came to rest about ten feet beyond the point of impact (oil spot on the road). The driver started to exit the vehicle immediately after imact and probably while it was still moving. One can observe the road rash on the door, squashed mirror and broken axle in the image below. The driver collects scrap which was scattered all around the site. The front grill emblem was thrown forward upon impact. A new power pole was installed overnight. The driver describes the incident. Notice the tire marks in along the hill where he is standing. The accident path is in red, the ideal path is in green. Notice when the driver lost control, control was taken over by enertia (force of motion) and the car moved in a straight line without the driver's control.This driver was very lucky.
If circumstances were different, outcomes would have been seriously different.
-If he was not wearing a seat belt he would have been thrown and killed.
-If the air bag did not deploy he may have been killed on the steering wheel.
-If the car had hit the pole on the driver door he would have been killed.
-If the power lines touched the car or driver he would have been electrocuted and killed.
-If the car were not massive (2.3 tons) with a sacrificial body he would have been killed.
-If he had passengers they would have been injured if not killed.
-If there was oncoming traffic he may have killed someone else.
One second before the accident, the driver felt he was in complete control, and was driving happily.
I hope he goes to church, is thankful, and has learned a valuable (albeit expensive) lesson.
Please drive carefully as your life depends upon it.

PERFORMANCECadillac style, luxury and performance, and high fuel economy. This car appeals to the late 1980s market demand for more precise and compact European styling. The STS overall body size and wheelbase was increased in 1992 resulting in more mass and a slower and less efficient car.With 225,000 miles it is still running strong. I recently (Aug 2005) took a trip on the New Jersey Turnpike and was able to record average highway fuel economy performance. Data was taken after 30 minutes of steady cruise control operation on moderately level highway, air conditioning off, open windows and ambient temperatures in the high 80s. The output of the car computer (indicated average fuel economy in MPG) was plotted versus the average cruise control speed setting (cruise settiing and indicated speed MPH) below. One may notice variability in the data increases with increasing speed. One may observe that the slower you go, the steadier the foot on the gas, the better the economy, the lower the engine wear, up to about 40 MPG at 50 MPH.
One can observe average fuel economy using the on the "on board" computer. In this photograph 31.8 mpg at 65 mph is indicated. One can also see the Bose Gold 8 speaker CD AM/FM stereo system.